In the classroom, emotion regulation plays a crucial role in how students handle academic challenges, stress, and failure.
Effective emotion regulation can lead to better focus, improved learning outcomes, and healthier social interactions, while poor regulation may result in disengagement, anxiety, or disruptive behaviors.
Key Points
Rationale
Academic failures are inevitable in learning processes and can potentially foster learning (Kapur, 2008; Keith & Frese, 2005).
However, negative emotions associated with failure may present an obstacle for learning, leading to disengagement and avoidance (Eskreis-Winkler & Fishbach, 2019).
While research has examined various factors influencing the tendency to learn from failure, such as achievement goals (Dweck & Leggett, 1988) and self-concept (Tulis et al., 2018), the role of emotion regulation styles has been relatively neglected (Tulis et al., 2015).
Self-determination theory (SDT) posits that negative emotions can serve as informational inputs assisting in the choice and self-guidance of actions (Vansteenkiste et al., 2010).
SDT differentiates between three styles of emotion regulation: integrative emotion regulation (IER), suppressive emotion regulation (SER), and amotivated emotion regulation (Ryan & Deci, 2017).
This study aims to explore the associations between these emotion regulation styles and learning from failure among adolescents, addressing a gap in the literature and potentially informing educational practices.
Method
The research consisted of two studies: onecross-sectionaland onelongitudinal design.
Procedure
Study 1 (Cross-sectional):
Study 2 (Longitudinal):
Sample
Study 1:
Study 2:
Measures
Statistical Measures
Results
Hypothesis 1:IER would be positively associated with adaptive responses to failure and learning from failure.
Hypothesis 2:SER and dysregulation would be related to maladaptive coping practices.
Hypothesis 3:Adaptive coping practices would mediate the association between IER and learning from failure.
Hypothesis 4:Learning from failure would mediate the association between IER and cognitive engagement following failure.
Insight
This research provides valuable insights into the role of emotion regulation styles in learning from academic failures.
The findings suggest that the ability to be attentive to and explore negative emotions (IER) may facilitate learning even in the face of frustration.
It demonstrates that IER not only predicts adaptive coping practices but also indirectly influences learning from failure and subsequent cognitive engagement.
These findings have important implications for educational practices. Instead of avoiding challenges to prevent failure and negative emotions, educators might focus on helping students develop more adaptive emotion regulation strategies.
This could involve teaching students to view negative emotions as informative rather than threatening, potentially leading to more effective learning from failure experiences.
Future research could explore the development and implementation of interventions aimed at fostering IER in educational settings.
Additionally, investigating the long-term effects of different emotion regulation styles on academic achievement and well-being could provide further insights into their importance in educational contexts.
Strengths
This study had several methodological strengths, including:
Limitations
This study also had several methodological limitations, including:
Implications
The results of this study have significant implications for educational practice and policy:
These implications underscore the importance of considering emotional processes in educational settings, moving beyond a sole focus on cognitive factors in learning and academic achievement.
References
Primary reference
Sharabi, Y., & Roth, G. (2024). Emotion regulation styles and the tendency to learn from academic failures.British Journal of Educational Psychology.https://doi.org/10.1111/bjep.12696
Other references
Dweck, C. S., & Leggett, E. L. (1988). A social-cognitive approach to motivation and personality.Psychological review,95(2), 256.https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-295X.95.2.256
Eskreis-Winkler, L., & Fishbach, A. (2019). Not learning from failure—The greatest failure of all.Psychological science,30(12), 1733-1744.https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797619881133
Kapur, M. (2008). Productive failure.Cognition and Instruction, 26, 379-424.
Keith, N., & Frese, M. (2005). Self-regulation in error management training: emotion control and metacognition as mediators of performance effects.Journal of Applied Psychology,90(4), 677.
Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2017).Self-determination theory: Basic psychological needs in motivation, development, and wellness.Guilford Press.
Tulis, M., Steuer, G., & Dresel, M. (2015). Learning from errors: Process and contextual conditions. Towards a model of individual processes within context. In M. Gartmeier, H. Gruber, T. Hascher, & H. Heid (Eds.),Fehler: Ihre funktionen im kontext individueller und gesellschaftlicher entwicklung(pp. 53–70). Waxmann.
Tulis, M., Steuer, G., & Dresel, M. (2018). Positive beliefs about errors as an important element of adaptive individual dealing with errors during academic learning.Educational Psychology, 38, 139–158.https://doi.org/10.1080/01443410.2017.1384536
Vansteenkiste, M., Niemiec, C. P., & Soenens, B. (2010). The development of the five mini-theories of self-determination theory: A historical overview, emerging trends, and future directions. In T. C. Urdan & S. A. Karabenick (Eds.),Advances in motivation and achievement: Vol. 16A: The decade ahead: Theoretical perspectives on motivation and achievement(pp. 105–165). Emerald Group.
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Saul McLeod, PhD
BSc (Hons) Psychology, MRes, PhD, University of Manchester
Saul McLeod, PhD., is a qualified psychology teacher with over 18 years of experience in further and higher education. He has been published in peer-reviewed journals, including the Journal of Clinical Psychology.
Olivia Guy-Evans, MSc
BSc (Hons) Psychology, MSc Psychology of Education
Olivia Guy-Evans is a writer and associate editor for Simply Psychology. She has previously worked in healthcare and educational sectors.
